AFP, LONDONBritain was so concerned by then-Russian president Boris Yeltsin’s heart attacks and drinking in 1995 that contingency plans were drawn up in case he died in office, declassified files showed yesterday. After Yeltsin suffered a second heart attack, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office drafted statements of condolence, fearing for his health amid the boozing, according to documents released from Britian’s National Archives. He was rushed to hospital in Moscow with heart trouble on Oct. 26, for the second time in under four months. “We have therefore given some thought to contingency plans should President Yeltsin die in office,” it said. The likely arrangements for Britain’s funeral delegation were outlined, including draft messages to be issued to the media, Yeltsin’s wife and the acting president.

Source: Taipei Times December 31, 2019 16:30 UTC